This invention pertains to a process and apparatus for cooling and solidification of heavy hydrocarbon liquid streams boiling above about 850.degree. F., and particularly to the solidification of vacuum bottoms material stream withdrawn from a coal liquefaction process to form discrete solid particles.
At the present time, the vacuum bottoms material stream derived from coal liquefaction process and having a normal boiling temperature above about 850.degree. F. is cooled and flaked on a moving metal belt prior to further use or disposal. Although this hydrocarbon cooling arrangement has been found useful, it has some disadvantages, such as it requires excessive space and produces a brittle product of varying size having sharp edges. Such material is difficult to handle in bulk handling systems and is generally undesirable. Consequently, a more suitable process for rapidly cooling and solidifying such heavy hydrocarbon material streams to form a more uniform sized and desirable product and which requires less space has been sought.